Raanke (Coconut Grater)

Grated coconut, and the coconut milk that is squeezed from the flakes, plays a huge role in Marshallese cooking. The flakes are mixed with water and pressed through cloth to extract the milk. The tool used to grate (or scrape) is called a raanke. It is traditionally made of breadfruit wood, but can be made of almost any hardwood, such as the local tree called lukwej. It is often shaped like a stool, making it easy to sit on (usually with the legs extended in a V-shape) and work the metal jagged blade. The blade used to be made of a piece of shell, but modern versions use metal cutters.